The husband of a missing Manassas Park, Virginia, woman has been indicted on a charge of murder and physically defiling a dead body.

Naresh Bhatt was charged in August with concealing the body of Mamta Kafle Bhatt — who was last seen in July and whose body still hasn’t been found.

During a Monday evening news conference, Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo said one reason for the updated charges was that they were able to match Mamta’s blood to blood found at the crime scene.

Lugo said “there’s a lot of evidence” in the case against Naresh.

“I know the crime scene was a big one. The forensic unit at Prince William County said it was one of the worst crime scenes they’ve seen,” he said.

The chief added that he was sorry Mamta’s family found out more details of the charges because of “the courts posting it before I had an opportunity to talk to them.”

Police have not yet talked to Naresh Bhatt, Lugo said, but they have sent all of the collected evidence to prosecutors, who “felt confident” enough to take it to the grand jury Monday and secure the indictment.

“I feel we have a strong case for not having a body,” Lugo said, though he added that authorities still hope to find Mamta’s remains.

Lugo alluded to the notion that Mamta was likely dismembered inside the home.

In a detailed timeline, Prince William County prosecutors have said Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s last video call with her mother was on July 29, which is the same day police believe she was killed.

The next day, July 30, prosecutors said Naresh Bhatt dropped the couple’s daughter off at a babysitter’s apartment early in the morning. Moments later, he was seen on camera dumping several plastic and trash bags into a dumpster at the babysitter’s apartment complex.

Later that morning, he went shopping at Home Depot and Walmart, buying a set of knives. That evening he bought a “40-pack of extra strong black trash bags,” according to senior assistant commonwealth’s attorney Sarah Sami.

On July 31, at 1:30 a.m., Naresh Bhatt was also captured on video in Falls Church retrieving bags from his Tesla and putting them into a trash compactor. His Tesla tracks him to that location, but his phone was inactive and not with him at the time.

Later that morning, over 150 gallons of water were consumed by the Bhatt residence — far more than the typical three or four gallons, according to prosecutors.

Holly Wirth, a former hospital co-worker of Kafle Bhatt and spokesperson for her family, said the family feels “a sense of relief” that a charge has finally come.

“Their goal has been two things: justice for Mamta and securing a future for her baby. And that’s what guides their steps every day,” Wirth said at the Monday press conference. “This is not a celebration. We’re not here happy.”

Naresh Bhatt is expected to be in Prince William Circuit Court at 10 a.m. Tuesday to be formally charged.

This story is developing. Check back with WTOP for updates.

WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.

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